Shloka 4
भीष्मरक्षण-प्रकरणम् / The Protective Screen around Bhīṣma and the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Clash
भारत! फिर क्रोधसे दोनों आँखें चढ़ाकर लोकवेत्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ भीष्म इस प्रकार देखने लगे, मानो देवताओं, असुरों और गन्धर्वोंसहित सम्पूर्ण लोकोंको दग्ध कर डालेंगे ।।
bhārata! tataḥ krodhāt saṃrabdhadṛṣṭir ubhe netre samāruhya lokavettṛṣu śreṣṭho bhīṣmaḥ tathā dadarśa, yathā devāsura-gandharva-sahitaṃ sarvaṃ lokam iva dagdhum icchet. atha sa tava putraṃ sāmnaiva samāśvāsya idaṃ vacanam abravīt— “tvaṃ duryodhana! kathaṃ mām evaṃ vāk-śalyair apakṛntasi? ahaṃ yathāśakti śatrūn abhibhavitum icchāmi, tava priya-sādhane ca niyukto ’smi. api ca tava priyārthaṃ samara-agnau prāṇān āhutum api sajjo ’smi.”
O Bhārata, then Bhīṣma—foremost among those who know the ways of the world—raised his eyes in anger and looked as though he would burn up all the worlds, together with gods, asuras, and Gandharvas. Yet, soothing your son with conciliatory words, he said: “Duryodhana, why do you pierce me like this with barbed speech? I strive, to the best of my power, to overcome the enemy, and I am engaged in the means you desire. Indeed, to please you, I am even ready to offer my very life into the fire of battle.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when provoked by harsh words, a leader should restrain rage and respond through sāma (conciliation), reaffirming duty and responsibility rather than escalating personal insult into destructive action.
Sañjaya describes Bhīṣma’s fierce anger, then shows him calming himself and consoling Duryodhana, explaining that he is already fighting to the best of his ability and is willing to sacrifice his life for the Kaurava cause despite being wounded by Duryodhana’s verbal barbs.